The WICB regrets that King is not taking up its offer but wishes him well in the work that he has indicated he is keen to pursue in the development of the Centre of Excellence in his native Australia.

In a letter to WICB Chief Executive Officer, Roger Brathwaite, King thanked the Board for offering him the position.

He also said: "There has been speculation that this decision was made because of the announcement of my nomination prior to our contractual negotiations.

I would like to let you know that this did not influence my decision. I would also like to recognise the professional manner in which the recruitment process was handled by the West Indies Cricket Board"

The WICB invites all West Indies cricket fans to join with us in supporting the West Indies team under the leadership of the new captain Brian Lara, Interim Coach Gus Logie and Manager Rickey Skerritt in their challenging series against the Australian team.